Melbourne: Star wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant says Virat Kohli’s immense experience helps him deal with pressure situations. Pant also expressed hope that he will be able to rebuild his batting partnership with former captain Kohli in the team’s first match of the T20 World Cup against Pakistan to be held here on Sunday.
The T20 World Cup website quoted Pant as saying, “He (Kohli) can really teach you how to deal with situations which can help you in your cricketing journey in future. So it’s always good to bat with him.” “It’s good to have someone with a lot of experience to bat with you because he can tell you how to take the game and maintain the pressure with one run in each ball,” he said.
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Unbeaten half-centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam helped Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup last year. India had scored 151 for seven but Pakistan chased down the target without losing any wickets. Twenty-five-year-old Pant, apart from playing an innings of 39 runs, added 53 runs with the then captain Kohli. Pant said, “I remember that I had hit two sixes in the same over off Hasan Ali. We were just trying to build up the run rate because we lost early wickets and we had a partnership – me and Virat.”
The wicket-keeper batsman said, “We were picking up the run pace and I hit him for two sixes with one hand… my special shot.” Talking about the experience of playing with arch-rivals Pakistan, Pant said, “Playing against Pakistan is always special as there is always a special kind of hype around that match.”
He said, “There is a lot of emotion attached not only to us but to the fans and everyone. It’s a different feeling, when you step on the field there is a different atmosphere and you see people cheering.” “It was a different atmosphere and when we were singing the national anthem it really gave me goosebumps,” Pant said. (agency)